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Tal'Anor
Overview Tal'Anor is a cross-section of a massive continent roughly 2,250 by 2,750 miles long. Tal'Anor is separated by from the rest of the continent by two major mountain ranges; The Silverpeaks to the north and the Durstead Mountains to the South. Also a part of Tal'Anor is the subcontinent of Kathmaru'un -- a sub-tropical jungle paradise as well as the Fairwind Isles to the south. Tal'Anor is a land of magic great and old, as well as technology streaming in from Eastern lands. There are four major powers in Tal'Anor; The Kingdom of Tal'Anor ruled over by the Ironstout Dwarves, The Silver Stag Empire with their capital city of Solaris, The Kathmaru'un Collective -- a loose alliance between the island of Zarki, Alverton, the people of Kathmaru'un, and the Fairwind Isles. The last of the four powers is the Free City of Akir'Feran; the largest city on Tal'Anor and home to some of the wealthiest individuals in all the land. History of Tal'Anor T'A 1 - The Early Years Several centuries ago (T'A 1 1 of the Tal'Anorian Calendar) Tal'Anor was settled by a coalition of Dwarves from the south seeking new lands to settle due to a famine that ravaged their homelands. After wandering for several thousands of miles for over a decade, the Dwarves finally settled in the south of Tal'Anor along the Durnstead Mountain range calling their new home "Duhn Maldir" or Mountain of Refuge. There they built Stonehaven into the mountain where they would thrive. T'A 207 - The Abandonment of Stonehaven After two centuries of peace and prosperity, the Tal'Anorian Dwarves have made a home out of Duhn Maldir. They found it to be rich in mithril, an ore prized for its strength and lightness. However, as a result of two centuries of digging deep into the mountain, they uncovered an "Ancient", a being born of time immemorial. This led to the evacuation of the mine and the abandonment of Stonehaven, the capital city. After an evacuation of the entirety of the Dwarven population, Dwarven mystics were called upon to seal Stonehaven and bury the Ancient before it could fully awake and regain conscienceless. The Tal'Anorian Dwarves knew far well the destructive powers of an Ancient as it was an Ancient that caused the famine that drove them from their original lands. After the abandonment of Stonehaven (T'A 207), the Dwarves eventually rebuilt at the base of Duhn Maldir. Fortifying the mountain and its surroundings, creating the capital city of Highwind Vale -- a massive city spanning the entire width of the Duhn Maldir Valley. Eventually a new mountain fortress was constructed, this time at the base of the mountain and a keep fortifying its entrance. To this day this fortress has been the seat of power of the Ironstouts, the Royal Family of the Tal'Anorian Dwarves. Surrounding the keep is New Stonehaven, a port city reaching the walls of Highwind Vale to the west and Flintlock Sound to the east. T'A 248 - A Meeting of Cultures and Expansion into Flintlock Sound Eventually the Dwarves of Tal'Anor found that they weren't alone in these lands. In T'A 248 during the building of Whitmore, the Dwarves encountered a scouting party of Humans who had originated far across the Ashir Steppes. The Dwarves, having met humans on their journey to Tal'Anor, welcomed them -- but with suspicion. Not knowing of the origins of these humans, the Dwarves sent an emissary to meet with the humans at an outpost that they had built at their landing point in what is now known as Barrett Bay. John Barrett, the leader of the Human expedition greeted the Tal'Anorian Dwarves with a chestful of gold, jewels, and other valuables stating that they originate from a port city from across the desert called Akir'Feran. After much negotiations and seeing no ill will towards the Kingdom, the Dwarven emissary reported back all that he had witnessed and learned. The Ironstouts reciprocated Barrett's generosity with treasures of their own -- mithril from Duhn Maldir. Learning that Akir'Feran was a seafaring nation and not having any navy of their own, the Tal'Anorian Dwarves then began a major construction project of a second major city across the Flintlock sound. Its name would be Rosecrest and it would be the center of operations and eventual homeport for the Ironstout Navy. Rosecrest Harbor and Navalyard would eventually be completed in T'A 251 with a surrounding city and fortifications built up by T'A 257. Eventually, Kingsport (Est. T'A 276) was built on the opening of Flintlock Sound as a major security checkpoint for for the interior of the Kingdom of Tal'Anor. T'A 254 - The Establishment of Tal'Feran After many years of trade with Akir'Feran through the port city of Seamist Landing, the Ironstouts and the Trade Princes of Akir'Feran came to an agreement to allow for a Dwarvan trading outpost in the Kalan-Tir desert. This new stronghold was named Tal'Faran as it was to be a bridge between both nations (This was before The Desolation that turned the Kalan-Tir Desert into a uninhabitable mana-storm wasteland). In T'A 257 a Silver Stag galleon was spotted off of the Kalan-Tir coast. This marked the first meeting of the three nations and a declaration pf peace was signed in Tal'Feran in late T'A 257 (This was during the construction of Solaris, the Capital City of The Silver Stag Empire). For years there was trade between the three nations and there was relative peace until T'A 261 when an Ancient awoke from under the desert sands causing The Desolation and the current state of the Kalan-Tir Desert and the destruction of Tal'Feran. T'A 261 - The Desolation In the 3rd month on the 14th day of T'A 261 a rumble shook the continent of Tal'Anor. From the sands of the Kalan-Tir Desert rose a great winged sand serpent; an Ancient. The Ancient known as Drok'Narr took flight and with every flap of his wings conjured the mana-storms that still reside to this day. He wrapped himself around the Keep at Tal'Feran and crushed it, killing all within the city's walls. The three nations gathered its strength but all the might of all three armies could do little and sustained heavy casualties. In one of Tal'Anor's darkest hours the three nations summoned their greatest champions of their time; From Akir'Feran -- John Barrett, his first-mate Anthony Taylor, and the crew of the Mistmantle, From the Kingdom of Tal'Anor -- Prince Akor Ironstout and his armor-bearer Goron Blazebeard, From The Silver Stag Empire -- High Mage Peter Lassington, Sienna Farthing, High Priestess of Balzanak, and Sir Richard Heartmore, Grand Marshal of the Silver Stag. These brave heroes ventured forth into the the ruins of Tal'Feran and confronted the serpent who lay in wait in the rubble. First-hand accounts from Akir'Feran stated that the battle was over within 10 minutes and not much more is known about what took place. All that the spectators saw was what seemed like giant ethereal swords pierce the Ancient and a circle of fire engulf all of Tal'Feran. With a flash of blinding light everything was calm. There were no survivors to be found; no remains of a battle -- just the scorched ruins of Tal'Feran and the raging mana-storms were all that was left. From that time on, the Kalan-Tir desert became increasingly dangerous to cross. For years Akir'Feran was cut off from the rest of the continent being accessible only by sea. However, in T'A 269 a band of Half-Orcs claiming to have resided in the Kalan-Tir desert for over a century made themselves known to the merchants of Akir'Feran. These Half-Orcs who called themselves the "Rageborn" were desert nomadic monks and claimed to have learned the secrets of navigating the mana-storms of the Kalan-Tir Desert. News quickly spread of the Half-Orc guides and many merchants sought them out as guides for hire. Within the next couple of years the Rageborn established a trading outpost at the edge of the Kalan-Tir desert where it meets the Steppes of Ashir. The outpost has grown since and is now a sprawling market with goods from all ends of Tal'Anor. There you can still find the Rageborn clan and their desert guides. T'A 262 - Tensions Rising On the anniversary of The Desolation, the three nations came together to pay their respects to the lost heroes. While all three nations grieved at the loss of their greatest heroes, the Silver Stag Empire took the losses especially hard. Their greatest mage, their army general, and one of their beloved, most benevolent priestess lost and with no remains to be found. During the ceremony tensions grew which led to the Silver Stag Empire's eventual withdrawal from the other two nations blaming them for their losses and insinuating that the Kingdom of Tal'Anor and Free City of Akir'Feran did not put in nearly the effort of offering heroes to champion the cause as they had. In years to come, the Silver Stag Empire would eventually attribute the victory over Drok'Narr to their own three heroes: the swords to High Mage Peter Lassington, the fire to High Priestess Sienna Farthing, and the flash of light to Grand Marshal Richard Heartmore who was a Paladin. The Desolation is still an uneasy topic to this day between the three nations. T'A 265 - The Rockpost Massacre By T'A 264 tensions were at a peak between the Kingdom of Tal'Anor and the Silver Stag Empire. While both nations attempted to rally support from Akir'Feran, the Trade Prices decided that it would be best to maintain a neutral relationship when it came to military action and trade as a focal point between themselves and the two nations. With the military side of the alliance of the three nations completely absolved, a movement towards war seemed inevitable. In late T'A 264, King Varias Ironstout (father of Prince Akor) decreed that a new stronghold should be built at the base of the southernmost peak of the Blackridge Mountains to serve as a garrison and remote outpost. It's position was tactical as it was located at the crossroads of the continent of Tal'Anor -- The Silver Stag Empire to the Northeast and (at the time) open, unclaimed territory to the Northwest. Although there were no formal boarders between the two nations, the Silver Stag town of Silver Springs lay on the other face of the mountain along a lake. Silver Springs was (and still is to this day) a mountainside hot springs resort popular with Silver Stag dignitaries and noblemen. Ironstout's reasoning behind the building of the stronghold was for "vigilance" and "the safety of all of our lands". What it was would be attributed by the Silver Stag Empire as a "land grab" and "encroachment" upon their territory. The new Dwarven stronghold would be named Rockpost as was to be built in the fashion of most Dwarven keeps of the day; built into the mountain with a fortress keep standing guard as an entrance with tall walls surrounding the property. By early T'A 265 major construction began at the site and citizens and visitors of Silver Springs became increasingly worried. Many of the visiting dignitaries reported back to Solaris of the Dwarves construction plans and of troops "in the hundreds" (an exaggeration as there were a mere 70 with a workforce of 150). When word reached Emperor Darian Arcturus that Ironstout was building a military instillation mere miles from Silver Stag territory, he ordered a regiment of troops (numbering over 1000) under the command of Jason Barrett (younger brother of John Barrett) to negotiate a cease and desist under any means necessary. Jason Barrett and a small number of officers rode ahead of the army leaving a lowly lieutenant in charge of the main forces. Barrett and his men reached Rockpost days ahead of his army. Upon his arrival at Rockpost, Jason took note that the number of Dwarven troops was far exaggerated and that the amount of troops at his command far outnumbered the Dwarves at Rockpost. Jason entered into negotiations with the Dwarven commander in charge of the construction of Rockpost with much pride and arrogance which quickly went south as the commander was under orders to complete the stronghold at all costs and saw Jason's demeanor as rude and unforthcoming of a diplomat. A hawk was dispatched to Ironstout Keep informing the King and his advisers of the arrival of Jason Barrett and the Silver Stag's demands. Not knowing the sheer number of troops under Barrett's command, the Rockpost commander held Jason Barrett and his officers captive as to await further instructions by the crown. By the time the Silver Stag regiment reached Rockpost, John's lieutenant was informed by scouts that John and the other officers had been taken prisoner. Eager for battle the young lieutenant charged toward Rockpost intending to take hold of the near completed stronghold and rescue his countrymen. The Dwarves of Rockpost saw the oncoming army with their weapons drawn and retaliated by opening fire with their trebuchet's. Many Silver Stag men were instantly killed as the giant boulders slammed into the ground. From that point on, the Silver Stag regiment was able to overwhelm the defending Dwarves. None were spared as the regiment suffered heavy damage due to the trebuchet barrages. By the time the Silver Stag troops reached Jason and his officers, the deed had been done -- Rockpost was under Silver Stag control and the Dwarves massacred down to the last workman. T'A 265 - War of the Cedar Woods News quickly spread throughout both kingdoms of the events that transpired at Rockpost. In the south, King Ironstout was informed of a massacre and a regiment of Silver Stag soldiers fortifying Rockpost. In the north, Jason Barrett relayed what transpired at Rockpost claiming that a lieutenant was at fault for the bloodshed and that they wree currently digging in at Rockpost in case of retaliation. Emperor Arcturus was furious with Barrett and removed him from diplomatic service. A mere two days later Emperor Arcturus received mail via falcon from King Ironstout demanding the return of Rockpost and the heads of those responsible or face all-out war. The Emperor, having much pride and viewing Rockpost as encroachment on his nation's lands, responded by rallying his troops for war and marching south to defend Rockpost. Missing, however, were Arcturus's mages who, after the death of their master High Mage Peter Lassington, denounced their citizenship of the Silver Stag Empire and founded their own independent organization, a school for mages to grow in their studies. They would eventually go on to settle on a high peak in the Blackridge Mountains and form The Lassington Mage Academy which stands till this day. A declaration of war rang out across Tal'Anor. Akir'Feran, true to their word, decided to stay out of the conflict, much to the dismay of both nations. Emperor Arcturus and his Silver Stag Army were first on the scene and had adequate time to finish building and reinforce Rockpost (his men numbered in the 5,000's). Knowing that Arcturus far outnumbered his own army, (Ironstout's men numbered about 3,500) King Ironstout sent a small diplomatic party to negotiate with the Holden's of Zarki. Castle Holden lay a day's travel by sea away from the Dwarven capital of Highwind Vale. Like the Dwarves of Duhn Maldir, the Holden's main maritime problem were pirates from the Fairwind Isles. Although many of the islands were inhabited by honest hardworking folk, a few islands were notorious pirate sanctuaries. Upon arrival on Zarki, the Dwarves were greeted by Maxwell Holden, Grand Admiral and ruler of Zarki. The men of Zarki, being a maritime nation, also boast the greatest fleet in all of Tal'Anor. The Dwarves knew that if they were able to form an alliance with Zarki, it would give them the edge over the Silver Stag Empire. On the tenth month on the fourteenth day in T'A 265, Ironstout's army (numbering 2000) led by his second son Kilsar Ironstout marched upon and besieged Rockpost. Though vastly outnumbered, Dwarven ingenuity was on display at its finest. Eight siege towers, twelve trebuchet, forty ballistae, an a company of mages proved difficult to move against. Arcturus knew that it would be a bloody battle if he were to move against the Dwarven siege. Arcturus sent a hawk back to Solaris to ready the Silver Stag Navy. Arcturus commanded his navy (men numbering about 500 sailors and 750 soldiers) to sail south to Barrett Bay and take the Port of Rosecrest hoping to force Ironstout to withdraw men from the siege. Meanwhile on Zarki, negotiations were at a stalemate. Holden's request was for support in combating and ousting of the pirates of the Fairwind Isles. The Dwarves had little men left to devote to the cause and their word that it would be done after the war with the Silver Stag Empire was not trusted. En route to Barrett Bay, The Silver Stag Navy encountered the combined Navy of the Trade Princes of Akir'Feran off the shore of Aleport. The Trade Princes demanded that the Silver Stag stand down and return to Solaris. Not wanting bloodshed between the two nations (as war would mean a loss of trade), the Trade Princes of Akir'Feran refused to let the Silver Stag through; shooting down any messenger birds that tried to leave the fleet. After six days of being besieged within Rockpost, Arcturus was getting desperate. He should have heard from his fleet but no word had come. His only option was to break the siege. At dawn the next day, fire arrows rained down on the Dwarves awakening them from their sleep and the doors of Rockpost swung open with Emperor Arcturus leading the charge. Only a minimal number of troops were stationed at the ready during the early morning hours so resistance was at a minimum. Arcturus's men quickly overwhelmed the Dwarven camp and Kilsar's men were ordered to retreat. With a hasty retreat in progress, Arcturus was able to capture many of the Dwarven siege weapons and push south into the Ceder Wood Forest. On the run, Kilsar Ironstout commanded his company of mages to wage gorilla warfare in the Ceder Woods while he waited for backup from Rosecrest. 1200 Dwarves from Rosecrest and Kingsport marched north to support Kilsar in the Ceder Woods. A battle broke out between the Company of Dwarven mages who used everything at their disposal to halt the Silver Stag advance. After a day of fighting, the Dwarven mages were able to hold their ground with minimal losses. The next morning, the Dwarven reinforcements met up with Kilsar's remaining forces and began to advance towards the battlefield. At the same time, The Silver Stag Navy was able to negotiate passage through the Aleport blockade with a sizeable sum of tribute. The exact worth of the tribute was never disclosed, however, the Silver Stag Empire's coffers were said to be nearing empty by the end of the war. The next day brought about the bloodiest battle of the war. Mages from Tal'Anor retreated as the SIlver Stag Army pursued them into the Ceder Woods. With superior numbers, The Silver Stag Army pursued the mages straight into a trap. Flanked on the right by Kilsar's remaining army and the mages to the south, the Silver Stag Army was pushed towards the shore throughout the day taking heavy casualties. Pinned on the beach at dusk, Arcturus and his officers were readying a retreat back to Stonepost when he noticed that Kislar's army began a steady withdrawal. Within the hour, Arcturus received a message from his Navy announcing their arrival and siege of Tal'Anorian land. Landing at Seamist and pushing north through the Ashir Steppes were 750 soldiers and 175 sailors of the Silver Stag Navy. Kilsar was notified of the second front and decided to march on Rosecrest and fortify the city for battle. Upon hearing the good news of the naval landing, Arcturus pursued Kilsar all the way to Rosecrest. Besieged on both sides by the Silver Stag, and with no additional free forces available, Kilsar dug in and positioned all remaining balistae and trebuchets fortifying Rosecrest to the best of his ability. In the port of Rosecrest, Dwarven forces along with emergency militiamen totaled about 3000 while Arcturus's men totaled 4400 with his navy totaling about 900. Hoping to cut Rosecrest off from Kingsport, Arcturus positioned his men between the two neighboring towns, sieging Kingsport to the west and Rosecrest to the east with the siegefront also approaching from the north. Arcturus hoped that the siege would push Kilsar to retreat from Rosecrest through ships on Flintlock Sound enabling them to focus on Kingsport, or south where they would be on foot through the Ashir Steppes and the Bristleback Hills. Emperor Arcturus's plan was solid but didn't take into account the surprise arrival of the Zarki Fleet. During the battle in the Ceder Woods, Dwarven diplomats came to a resolution with Grand Admiral Holden. The deal outlined continued efforts from both nations to deal with the pirate threat as soon as the war subsided along with an open port treaty between the two nations. A series of new drydocks would be built in Rosecrest to accommodate the building of Zarki ships. Zarki would purchase ships at a discount built by the Dwarves to Holden's specifications using wood provided by Zarki. These ships would then be transported to Zarki for final preparations. In return, Grand Admiral Holden would send the full might of the Zarki Fleet to deal with the Silver Stag Army besieging Rosecrest. From out of the fog a hail of cannon fire rained on Arcturus's army. By mid morning the Silver Stag Army had suffered nearly 800 injuries and over 400 casualties. Prince Kilsar Ironstout flung open the gates of Rosecrest and charged onto the field of battle where he was met with a surrendering Silver Stag Army. That afternoon Emperor Darian Arcturus and King Varias Ironstout met at Rosecrest to discuss terms. To prevent further bloodshed, Arcturus conceded to Ironstout and ended the War of the Ceder Woods on the twenty-third day of the tenth month of T'A 265. T'A 265 - The Treaty of Rosecrest and Aftermath of War Arcturus conceded Rockpost to the Kingdom of Tal'Anor. However, as a gesture of his willingness to work with Arcturus, Ironstout refused the offer and allowed the Silver Stag Empire to keep Rockpost and drew up the the boarders of their lands at Ceder Inlet, 25 miles north of Rosecrest running east towards Airedale Lodge. In all, The War of the Ceder Woods lasted 9 days with a total loss of over 2000 lives. A year later, during the anniversary of the Rosecrest Treaty, a monument was built at Rockpost as a memorial to those lost. Thus ending the bloodiest war in Tal'Anor history. In the following years, King Ironstout would make good on his promise of helping Zarki with the liberation of the Fairwind Isles. The pirate stronghold of Swordbreak Keep was destroyed and many of the pirate factions scattered and were no longer working in unison. As a result, many of the Fairwind Isles (Shark Island, Sandbar, and many smaller islands) as well as many of the newly liberated islands such as Crescent Isle joined together to form the Fairwind Isle Confederacy. In T'A 267 an alliance also formed between Zarki, the Confederacy, Fort Beville and the other towns of Kathmaru'un and the Island Nation of Alverton, an island off the north coast of Kathmaru'un. This alliance became known as the Kathmaru'un Collective. Governed by a council of rulers from every nation, The Collective runs itself as a sort of aristocracy. In T'A 268 with no severe threats from pirates, no outright wars, and normal trade relations returning between the kingdoms, King Varias Ironstout held a crowning ceremony on the sixth day of the third month with his son Kilsar succeeding him as King of Tal'Anor. Present for the ceremony were Trade Princes from Akir'Feran, Emperor Darian Arcturus and his two eldest sons, Grand Admiral Holton as well as other dignitaries from across Tal'Anor. T'A 269 - Founding of the Lassington Mage Academy After the loss of High Mage Peter Lassington in 261 T'A to The Desolation, Lassington's apprentices signed an accord sending it to Emperor Arcturus stating their disassociation with the Empire. Not wanting to make enemies of a powerful group of mourning individuals, Arcturus had no choice but to let them leave hoping that one day they would reunite stronger and on better terms. For years Lassington's apprentices studied their magic in seclusion; hidden away in the Blackridge Mountains. After witnessing the massacre of life during the Ceder Woods War, Lassington's apprentices decided that the best use of their skills would be as an independent intermediary security force. In T'A 266 they began building Lassington's Mage Academy, a grand mage tower and fortress that would house a training school for young mages as well as a barracks and headquarters for sending out security forces and at the center of it all, a massive mage tower built upon a cross-section of ley lines devoted to the furtherment of magic. Since the founding of the mage academy, students from all walks of life and many nations have come to the mage academy to study and become a practitioner of the magic arts. T'A 415 - Present Times 150 Years have passed since The Treaty of Rosecrest. Not much has changed in Tal'Anor. Pirates still sail the Fairwind Isles and jungles of Kathmaru'un, The Silver Stag Empire now run by Xander Arcturus II (great, great grandson of Darian Arcturus) has expanded throughout the north as well as west, over the Blackridge Mountains. The Silver Stag is once again a powerful Empire and had since recovered from the war that crippled their economy over a century-and-a-half ago. The Kingdom of Tal'Anor, now ruled by Markas Ironstout (son of Kilsar Ironstout) has flourished. Flintlock Sound has since become a major naval center with cities, ports, and towns popping up all over its shores. Kingsport has become the major military stronghold for the Kingdom of Tal'Anor and is home to the famed Ironstout Legion. The Kathmaru'un Collective has grown exceptionally and has since incorporated most of the islands off of Kathmaru'un. Fort Bevelle has since grown into a major city and frontier town for many nations as ancient ruins have been discovered on the sub-continent as well as gold in the interior regions. The Holden's of Zarki have bolstered their fleet to an impressive size. Their fleet now boasts an impressive amount of ships thanks to their friendship with the Dwarves of Tal'Anor. On the other side of the continent, The Trade Princes of Akir'Feran have also boosted their personal forces. Akir'Feran's coffers continue to overflow since the mysterious appearance of the Rageborn Half-Orcs. In recent years, new and marvelous inventions have been flowing out of the east and into Akir'Feran, making their way into the rest of Tal'Anor. The Lassington Mage Academy have since graduated 30 classes of mages and have sent out numerous security forces across all of Tal'Anor to serve and protect the citizens of those nations. All in all, the future looks bright for the kingdoms of Tal'Anor.